Woodpecker Damage

[The Cumbrian]

My first thought was that a sensible woodpecker would be subtle, and go for the back, furthest away from the entrance, but a hungry one is more likely to listen and work out where the most bees are, and choose that side.

As far as I know all woodpeckers forage by listening for movement under the surface.

 

[RoofTops]

Thanks for the views.
I was hoping there was some kind of woodpecker/bee interaction like bees chasing woodpeckers away when they hear the tapping on the side of the hive.
I'm trying to plan a Behavioural Ecology project as part of the degree course I'm doing and wanted to incorporate my bees in some way. I was hoping there was some kind of defence behaviour that I could quantify in relation to woodpecker attacks.
Back to the drawing board maybe.
Anyone got any other sensible suggestions?

Stewart

Perhaps the study should be about why the bees don't attack or at least do not deter the bird from attacking the hive?

I had a woodpecker attack a couple of my hives. Both attacks were just above the entrance although there were signs of a couple of attempts on the sides. The bird made a small hole in one hive but stopped when it encountered the frame side bar. The other hive just had some damage but was not holed. The hives were poly and the bird concentrated where the hand holds are - as seems to be normal.

My guess as to how it gets away with it is either the bird does the attack very early in the morning (in winter) and it is just too cold for the bees to want to fly. Alternatively, the bird can put up with the attack. Green Woodpeckers will attack red ants nests and they get covered in ants in the process and the ants spray formic acid as well. This does not seem to put the bird off and in the case of bees I guess the only parts vulnerable would be its eyes and feet and the corners and interior of its mouth. Its feathers should protect the rest of its body.

The honey buzzard can dig out wasps nests and survive so I suspect woodpeckers are no different - they have adapted to the problem and can prevent serious injury to themselves.

I suspect it would need a camera to resolve the issue, perhaps set up so it starts if it hears a knocking? There may be something on YouTube although I wasn't able to find anything - is this a first, nothing on YouTube!

 

[drstitson]

youtube

no woodpecker activity but plenty of damage.

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=atE3swu_g-Q[/ame]

and some angry guard bees at the end!

 

[Hivemaker.]

Some good photographs of woodpecker damage in this thread......
http://www.beekeepingforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=8603&highlight=woodpecker+armageddon

 

[RoofTops]

Are we losing our Moderator's impartiality (wooden) Hivemaker?

 

[Hivemaker.]

Are we losing our Moderator's impartiality (wooden) Hivemaker?

Strange,but they never touched the two wooden(quality cedar) ones for some reason,could understand it if they had been ply.

 

[alanf]

Just been watching a green woodpecker on the lawn, poking around where there are ants nests.

Not showing any interest in the (cedar) beehive so far, although I suspect this is the sort of cold conditions when they might be looking for other food sources.

 

[OXFORDBEE]

Had an empty hive drilled into. Woodpecker must have been deaf. All the occupied hives were left alone.

 

[Hivemaker.]

Woodpecker must have been deaf.

Or on the slimfast plan.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Perhaps you have ventriloquist bees

 

[sugarbush]

I have come up with a solution for all your woodpecker problems.